- One in five grocery trips involves at least one out-of-stock item
- One in three shoppers now prioritise availability over price
A new report from DHL Supply Chain and Retail Economics reveals that product availability has become one of the most powerful drivers of customer loyalty in UK grocery retail.
The report, The Availability Effect: Why trust, margin and loyalty start at the shelf edge, finds that convenience and reliability now outweigh price for a growing share of shoppers (one in three), demonstrating a shift in how loyalty is retained in modern retail.
Bringing together in-store audits, a survey of 2,000 UK households, and economic modelling, the study has quantified the scale, cost, and behavioural impact of availability.
The findings show that one in five UK grocery trips involves at least one missing item – equivalent to around 930 million shopping visits every year. Across the sector, that equates to roughly £2.1 billion in displaced sales. In line with this, 44% of consumers say they have switched or added another supermarket in the past year due to stock availability issues, with this rising to almost two-thirds of shoppers under 45. Nearly six in ten (59%) say availability is a key reason they shop across multiple stores.
Meanwhile, convenience stores account for around one-fifth of grocery sales but represent almost half of all displaced spend due to stock-outs. Availability in these formats typically sits in the low-to-mid 80% range, compared to 90%+ in supermarkets and hypermarkets. 63% of shoppers believe availability is worse in convenience stores.
Nick Archer, MD, Convenience and Consumer, DHL Supply Chain says: “The research shows that even small stock gaps can have a significant impact on how shoppers feel about a retailer. Despite the pressure on shoppers’ wallets, loyalty is being driven by more than price. In a market where customers can switch stores with ease, availability is much more than an operational metric. Being competitive in today’s market requires precision. Retailers and their partners need to be able to predict disruption, integrate data and execute efficiently”.
Richard Lim, Chief Executive, Retail Economics says: “In today’s environment of busy lifestyles, hybrid working and smaller, more frequent shopping trips, customers expect to find what they need quickly and easily. This is not only limited to grocery, but in all retail sectors, from fashion to beauty. Convenience comes down to having products there when the customer needs them, and availability has become the clearest sign of reliability. Retailers who get it right will be the ones who earn trust and lasting loyalty”.
The Availability Effect: Why trust, margin and loyalty start at the shelf edge is available to download at: The Availability Effect
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